


his quiet support

by storiesbysonny



Series: we don’t have to talk to click [4]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Canon Compliant, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Na Jaemin is a Good Friend, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Platonic Cuddling, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:33:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28062465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesbysonny/pseuds/storiesbysonny
Summary: With Dream's schedule being so tightly-packed, sometimes it's easy for Renjun to forget about being so far from his family and his native country. However, the moment things begin to settle down the longing feeling always seems to crash over him in waves. Normally, Renjun can bounce back from it with a phone call to his mom, but lately, he finds that her voice actually makes it a bit harder. He finds himself with a lump stuck in his throat just at the thought of being far from his family.Renjun is missing home, and Jaemin can't exactly bring his home to him but he can try.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin
Series: we don’t have to talk to click [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1846765
Comments: 4
Kudos: 80





	his quiet support

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the next installment to my Jaemin / Dreamies series! I hope you like it <3

Jaemin is walking to the kitchen to grab a glass of water when he catches sight of Renjun sitting out on the living room couch. He looks deep in thought, so Jaemin decides it’s best not to bother him.

Living together for years has made it easy for them to distinguish when they need their space and when they can intervene and lend a listening ear. Jaemin and Renjun are known to have their late-night talks, so Jaemin would like to think he knows the other pretty well. 

It’s when Jaemin is making his way back to his room that he hears Renjun let out a long sigh as he absently shakes his head in dismissal. Jaemin thinks after taking a second look at Renjun that maybe he could use something to distract him from what’s whirling in his mind. The other’s shoulders are slouched in a way that makes him look smaller than usual. It’s not a state Jaemin wants to see his friend in.

Jaemin decides that he’ll do whatever he can to get Renjun smiling again. He makes his way to the couch and plops down beside the older boy, which seems to startle him if the clutching of his chest and the curse that passes his lips is any indication. “Jesus, Jaem. Some warning next time would be appreciated,” he mutters. There’s no real bite in his words. 

“I mean I wasn’t exactly being quiet, Junnie. I had to walk past you to get to the kitchen,” he says as he vaguely gestures at the glass of water he left resting on the coffee table. 

Renjun glances at the glass and has no real rebuttal. He just blinks at him before childishly huffing and turning to the television. Jaemin is sure the other boy doesn't even know what's playing at this point, which kind of makes him want to laugh.

He mischievously smiles to himself as he makes his next move. He wraps his arms tight around Renjun and gives him a light squeeze. “Aw, c’mon don’t be like that, Injunnie. You were the one stuck in that little head of yours? It’s not my fault you got scared.” 

Renjun wiggles in his hold, trying to get away from him, but of course, there’s no point because there’s no escaping Jaemin if he has his mind set on something. He stops attempting to escape from the younger boy’s embrace and instead looks at him with a deadpan expression. “Get off, Jaem. I’m not in the mood.” 

Jaemin shakes his head in dissatisfaction. “Nope,” he replies, making sure to annunciate the letters exaggeratedly just to be extra annoying. Renjun has half the mind to smack him. “Not until you tell me what’s bothering you.” 

Renjun rolls his eyes. “Well, I guess we’ll just be sitting here all night then.” 

Jaemin's eyes immediately alight with mischief. “Ah, I see. So you do want some quality cuddles. Aw, Junnie,” he kisses his forehead one, two, three consecutive times with the accompaniment of exaggerated kissing sounds just the rile up the other boy a bit more. “All you had to do was ask.” 

Renjun lightly pinches his side in retaliation, which earns him a whimper from the younger boy that he’s all too satisfied with. 

“I know what you’re trying to do, Jaem,” he says. Because of course, he does. They all know each other so well. And it should be no surprise that Jaemin could tell that something was troubling him. He thought he'd done a good job of hiding it, but he guesses not well enough this time. Jaemin always has an uncanny way of seeing through all of them.

He's always been awfully observant. 

Renjun seems to think for a long moment, not sure if he wants to indulge in this conversation right now. Renjun's never been one to open up to others all too easily, but when he does he bares his heart. But this is Jaemin, he thinks to himself - the same selfless Jaemin who is always ready to listen and willing to help in any way he can with that warm smile of his. 

Renjun decides then.

He takes a steadying breath and shares what’s been on his mind and weighing heavy on his heart. “I mean it’s not a big deal. Just a little homesick is all,” he sighs, trying to downplay just how much the feelings have stacked and multiplied.

With Dream's schedule being so tightly-packed, sometimes it's easy for Renjun to forget about being so far from his family and his native country. However, the moment things begin to settle down the longing feeling always seems to crash over him in waves. 

Normally, Renjun can bounce back from it with a phone call to his mom, but lately, he finds that her voice actually makes it a bit harder. He finds himself with a lump stuck in his throat just at the thought of being far from his family.

Tonight all the pent-up emotions seem to be crashing down on him in waves, and he feels like he can't keep his head above the surface like he typically can. He's been in this foreign country for years now. He has planted his roots here, and he's blossomed beautiful friendships that he's sure will only continue to flourish for a lifetime. But sometimes, when he's alone and left with his thoughts he can't stop this lonely feeling from making a cocoon around his heart. 

Renjun isn't alone often. Thankfully. And he's so appreciative to have the members constantly there to remind him what he's a part of - something that's so much bigger than them all. 

But for right now, he'll allow himself to feel these feelings, to talk them out, and then move forward. 

That's why when Jaemin squeezes him just a little tighter, he allows himself to squeeze back. He allows himself to welcome the unbridled affection being given to him. "Junnie, don't say it's not a big deal. Anything that makes you feel this sad is a big deal," he kisses the top of Renjun's head. "You're allowed to be sad, Jun. You don't have to be strong all the time. That's what I'm here for. That's what we're all here for."

"Don't you forget it, okay?" Jaemin finishes his statement with another kiss to the crown of his head and then another on his temple. The words immediately warm Renjun's heart. It's something he's always known, but sometimes it's nice to hear, especially in times like these. 

"Thanks, Jaemin," he whispers before snuggling even closer. He smiles to himself. He's grateful to have someone like Jaemin. Someone who will come and pester him when he sees he's feeling upset until he eventually caves and then proceed to give him cuddles. It's such a Jaemin thing to do. He can't stop the little giggle that escapes his lips at the thought.

Jaemin pulls back to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "What's funny?"

"Nothing. Just had a funny thought about you," he giggles even more.

Now Jaemin has both his eyebrows raised at him in mock accusation. "And you've thought of that so suddenly," he questions as he tries to fight the smile that's trying to find its way to his lips. He's not too successful because Renjun immediately detects it. But of course, he finishes with his charade in true Jaemin fashion, which makes Renjun's giggles bubble out of him.

"I'm giving you sound advice as one of your best friends _and_ I'm sharing my quality cuddles and yet you're laughing at _me_." He stops to exaggeratedly point at himself as if it’s an offense to think such a thing. “I can’t believe this. I'm hurt, Junnie," he finishes dramatically with a hand to his chest. 

Renjun rolls his eyes in exasperated fondness. 

"I was only thinking about how great you are," Renjun teases as he reaches up to pinch Jaemin's cheek. It makes the other boy falters for a second, which sends a spark of pride through Renjun's chest. It's always a small victory if anyone can make _the_ Na Jaemin flustered. 

Jaemin pouts as Renjun looks at him with a smug expression. He tilts his head innocently as if he doesn’t know his next statement is going to annoy Renjun. (He definitely knows.) He’s looking at Renjun with big, innocent eyes that don’t quite have the effect they used to have after all these years. 

"You certainly don't look like someone who was just begging for my cuddles a few minutes ago,” he says as the corners of his lips twitch up into a cheeky smile. 

"Yah," Renjun roughly pokes Jaemin in his side which is followed with an indignant whine from the slightly younger boy. "No one was begging for cuddles from you, Na." 

Renjun fixes him with an unamused expression which Jaemin returns with a thoroughly amused one. 

But then Jaemin gets that familiar mischievous glint in his eyes, and Renjun knows what is coming next but he doesn't have enough time to prevent it.

Before he can even blink, Jaemin is tickling the living daylights out of Renjun, and the older boy is desperately trying to stop the torturous fingers between breathless spouts of laughter. 

"I won't stop until you admit you love my cuddles," he teases while his fingers continue to tickle Renjun’s sides. 

At some point, the sound is enough to rouse Jeno from his room who peeks his head around the corner to find out what all the fuss is about. "Do I want to know?" Jeno asks with an amused smile on his face. 

"Just walk away, Lee," Jaemin says with that glint still gleaming in his eyes as he gives Renjun a moment of reprieve before he's back to tickling him again. 

And just like that, the worries that surrounded Renjun vanish into the air and are replaced with an air of laughter.

...

It's only a few days later when Renjun is struck with the thought of just how thankful he is to have Jaemin in his life once again. 

Renjun is coming home from a schedule when he's greeted with a familiar aroma coming from the kitchen. The scent immediately pulls him in that direction, curiosity piqued and suspicions raised. He stops in the doorway of the room, and he is welcomed with the usual sight of Jaemin moving about the space like it's second nature. Which is typical. What's unusual about the sight, however, is what Jaemin is preparing on the stove. It's a dish they've never had at dorms, but it's a dish that Renjun is very familiar with. 

Renjun clears his throat to make his presence known. Jaemin turns to look at him with a bright smile. "Hi, Injunnie."

"Hi, Jaem," he says walking closer to the other boy. "Is that what I think it is?" He finally asks the question that's been on the edge of his mind since he crossed the threshold of the dorm. 

"Oh? This?" Jaemin tries for nonchalance. "Yeah, I thought I'd try making this for you."

Renjun remembers Jaemin offhandedly asking just yesterday what his favorite childhood dishes were back when he was living in his home country. Renjun didn't think much of it then, but really he should've known because Jaemin is well... _Jaemin_. He’ll always do whatever he can do to make sure his members are happy.

Renjun is always so in awe of how thoughtful Jaemin is. It’s been years, yet it still always floors him when he does simple things like this. Sure Jaemin is bold and big in his shows of affection, but he also does small and subtle things like this that really touch the hearts of those closest to him. It immediately spreads warmth through Renjun's body. 

Renjun's next words come out so softly, truly overwhelmed with emotion. "Thank you. You really didn't have to," he holds up a finger to stop Jaemin from insisting about how much he wants to do this for him like he knows he's about to. He softly adds the next part with more conviction. "Thank you, Jaem."

Renjun is sure that Jaemin can hear the sincerity in words, can probably see it in his eyes that are looking right into his. "It's no problem. Really." He reassures with a soft smile.

Renjun smiles right back.

Soon after, to break the serious atmosphere around them, because Jaemin has never liked for things to be too serious for too long, he speaks his next sentence in a light tone. "I'm not sure it'll be as good as your mom's but I tried my best."

"I'm sure it'll be great," Renjun reassures. 

  
  


(The dish does turn out to be great. Of course, nothing can ever quite compare to a mother’s homemade cooking, but it was the effort and the careful thought from Jaemin that counts. 

That night Renjun makes sure to thank Jaemin once more. It’s a whole-hearted thank you. That is not only for the meal. Or for the other night. But also for always sharing his thoughts with him late at night. For making him laugh and sharing playful banter. 

A thank you for always being quiet support. 

He doesn’t explicitly say it all, but he knows Jaemin understands nonetheless.) 

♡̷̷

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I went to write this pairing and I realized that I didn't know as much about their dynamics, strangely. I could just recall their Dream vs Dream where they spoke about their "late-night talks with the ambient light" and I remember the instance where they were supposed to perform that act on Save Dream and Renjun said something along the lines of "I can't do this, Jaemin's gaze is too 'intense'" or something.
> 
> So yeah, they've caught my eye before, but I found that I wanted to write their dynamics as closely to "what it is" (take this lightly, I don't claim to know how they really are) as I could. So I was re-watching Dream content like I usually do, but this time I was paying more attention to their interactions, and let me tell you... How cute! Jaemin absolutely loves to tease and get a rise out of Renjun, but he's also so very whipped for him. So I hope this piece managed to capture that essence. 
> 
>   
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